Magnet – Pueblo High School

Walter Cronkite Comes To Pueblo—Again!

By Yamilex Garcia and Omar Quintana

On Monday, November 14, 2016, Ms. Anita Luera, the director of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism for high school students, spoke to more than three dozen students in Mr. Rana Medhi’s journalism and Ms. Marie Little’s yearbook programs at Pueblo Magnet High School, primarily discussing the value and power of journalism in our society today.

“Journalism should be about the truth, and our society needs the truth more than ever,” Luera said. “Journalism careers will increase as people will always need news, and hopefully well-balanced, fair, objective news.”

She also promoted the upcoming 2017 Summer Institute at ASU for all students interested in media careers. Students can begin applying for this program as early as January.

victor-garcia-anita-luera-walter-cronkite-school-of-journalism — Ms. Anita Luera speaks to our yearbook students with Victor Garcia sharing his experience.

Pueblo senior Victor Garcia was encouraged by his media teacher last year, Ms. Pamela Shapiro, to apply—and eventually be accepted to attend the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Summer Institute last summer. Garcia said that he wanted to explore the modern facilities of the school as well as its technical parts, including the contemporary newsrooms. For two weeks, Garcia worked with other students from mostly Arizona, as well as one student from France.

“We [the students in the program] still keep in touch via group chats,” Garcia said. “That’s how close we became because we had to work together and produced a media package.” He paused and said, “It’s an intense program—you really learn a lot about the world of journalism and have to meet deadlines and be responsible. I would encourage all students who have a general interest in media to apply for this prestigious program.”

Garcia said that he learned a lot about diplomacy in the Summer Institute. “It wasn’t all about journalism,” he said. “My work ethic improved a great deal when I returned this year to Pueblo as a senior.”

Garcia said that he hasn’t firmly committed to a collegiate major, but at this time, he is exploring an option in public policies—somehow involved in the political world.

Luera visited a few other media programs, including radio (with Ms. Sarah Wilson and her students) as well as photography (taught by Ms. Emma Tarazon).

This is Luera’s ninth year of visiting Pueblo Magnet High School, speaking to hundreds of students over the years.

“I never get tired of coming to Pueblo,” Luera said. “Your school [Pueblo] is very fortunate to have so many different media programs—especially as part of your magnet program.”

Anita Luera, a long-time journalist and past president of the Arizona Latino Media Association, is the first director of high school journalism programs for the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Luera oversees an expanding array of high school programs, including national training institutes for high school journalism teachers and students. She also leads school’s outreach programs to high schools around the region that are working to develop and improve their journalism programs.

Pueblo Boasts Tucson’s Only High School Radio Program

By Iram Arce

After 14 years, Ms. Sarah Wilson, continues to improve the only high school radio show in Tucson—KWXL 98.7, at Pueblo Magnet High School.

As Pueblo’s broadcast journalism teacher, Wilson gives students an opportunity to experience what it truly feels like to work at a professional radio station.

“This school year, we were finally able to get some new iMacs,” Wilson said. “This allows me to have more students working on production at a time. I can. I can hold all of my students accountable.”

On Nov. 18, the entire radio staff will participate in a “retreat”, an opportunity for all of the students in the radio program to get better acquainted with their fellow peers.

In the past, Wilson said that this retreat has helped students to bond with one another from other classes because they rarely have time together, unless it’s after school.

One of the biggest dreams that radio anticipates is to one day be able to live stream a Pueblo sporting event over the radio.

Wilson said, “This live-streaming is going to be a group effort between journalism, TV broadcast, and web design and will allow all of our programs to unite and work together. If we can make that happen, we can do anything. The sky is the limit with our communications programs.”

Journalism Goes Totally Digital

By Nayeli Sanchez

After a quarter century, journalism teacher Mr. Rana Medhi continues to teach beginning and advanced journalism at Pueblo Magnet High School. He was specifically hired in 1992 to rejuvenate the program.

From 1988 until Medhi was hired in 1992, Pueblo did not have a journalism program.

“I was shocked to learn that a high school did not have a journalism program when I interviewed for this job a million years ago,” Medhi said. “At that time in public schools, especially in T.U.S.D., all high schools had a newspaper department.”

Over the years, Medhi said that he has seen an improvement not only in his program but also students commitment for his journalism programs.

“Student participation has increased a great deal over the years,” Medhi said. “Only four students enrolled in the program my first year. The next year, I had more than 40 students involved in journalism. That figure has stayed at about that number over the past 20 years, but I also could and would love to teach 100 students the craft and art of journalism.”

lauren-ahern-editor-in-chief-advisor-mr-medhi-pueblo-journalism — Lauren Ahern, 2016-2017 Editor-in-Chief, with Advisor Mr. Medhi

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Medhi took “a break” from teaching journalism at Pueblo to earn his master’s in education administration. Since 2002, however, he has continuously taught two levels of journalism.

“[Advancements in] technology have made it easier for us to create our newspapers and make them pieces of art,” Medhi said. “The graphics are becoming easier to learn all of the time, and students love this aspect of journalism. Not only are the articles interesting, but their layout is creative.”

Most of students’ stories are posted on the school’s official website; by the end of the school year, students will write an average of 150 stories. And at the end of the year, a hard copy has been a tradition and definitely an expectation, which focuses teacher retirements, spring sports programs and, overwhelmingly, senior-related articles.

Efforts are currently happening to assign specific curricula to students. For example, one or two students could be in charge of all magnet-related stories; another one or two students could cover all science stories. Medhi said that all facets of school life should be reported.

“Our goal is to not leave anybody out of our stories,” he added. “All members of the Pueblo community are unique, hard-working and vital to the Pueblo family.”

Editor-in-chief Lauren Ahern, a senior, has been a devoted member of the journalism program for three years and has great visions for 2016-17.

Mr. William Richards ‘Drawn’ To Magnet Position

By Yamilex Garcia

Former biology teacher Mr. William Richards joins the administrative staff as the new magnet coordinator following in the position of Ms. Laura Gallegos who retired last school year.

The magnet coordinator is responsible for recruiting students to Pueblo from other areas of Tucson in an effort to balance the ethnicities at Pueblo.

“One thing that I’m going to try to do is have more communication with magnet and culturally relevant teachers so that we can work together to be more effective with our magnet plan,” said Richards.

He added that thus far he enjoys the challenge of this new position and feels confident that within time he will make a colossal difference at Pueblo.

“I miss teaching and the bonds with my students,” said Richards. “However, I feel that I can make just as much of an impact outside of the classroom and put Pueblo on the map regarding its magnet status.”

Maria Servellon Accepted to Medical Workshop

By Daniela Moreno

Junior Maria Servellon (Class of 2018) was accepted to the Perry Initiative, a one-day program for young women interested in orthopedic surgery and biomechanical engineering.

Servellon is excited to be the first Pueblo applicant to be accepted to this program. Out of more than 200 applicants in Arizona, Servellon was among just 35 young women to be selected.

“I feel like being accepted has been a stepping stone for young women who are interested in this field,” she said.

On Saturday, September 17, 2016, Servellon attended the one-day program at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. Pueblo science teachers Dr. Andrew Lettes and Ms. Elaine Straub accompanied her to this event.

“I really learned a lot performing six mock surgeries,” Servellon said. “I learned how to repair fracture using plates as well as spinal repairs due to scoliosis. I even had a chance to learn how to perform knee ligament reconstruction and to perform surgeon stitching.”

The application process consisted of a paragraph on why she was interested in attending this event as well as stating her short- and long-term goals in life.

“When I learned that I was accepted, it was totally unreal,” Servellon said. “I didn’t feel that I was that worthy of acceptance.”

Her former teacher, Dr. Andrew Lettes, is extremely proud of Servellon’s accomplishment and hopes many more females will follow in her footsteps in the future.

“Dr. Lettes truly encouraged and inspired me when I had him for the first time last year in Biotech 1-2, and even though I don’t have him for a teacher this year, he still inspires me because he is my ‘Science Dad’.”

Lettes said that Servellon’s acceptance into this program is a validation that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and are motivated enough.

Straub echoed Lettes’ words and added, “I’m beyond proud of what Maria Servellon has accomplished this year. I hope that she inspires more female students to follow in her footsteps.”

Servellon is open to all sciences and hopes this experience will help guide her towards her future career. She said that she would like to help in the efforts to develop more effective plastic hearts to those who are in desperate need of heart transplant.

Servellon said that she is starting to investigate colleges and universities to pursue her medical education, and she is curious about the University of California at Berkeley, which is her original home.

“This [event] exposed me to even more science, and I’ve always been very passionate about science,” she added. “There are not many women devoting their careers to sciences these days, still, but more women are needed in sciences because I believe that women are more precise and meticulous than men.”

On Oct. 18, Servellon will be recognized and honored by T.U.S.D. Superintendent H. T. Sanchez during the Governing Board meeting. Servellon has been asked to invite her family to this special occasion.

Warriors Solve Crime Scene

By Yamilex Garcia and Omar Quintana

Crime Scene Staged For Pueblo High School Forensics Class — Crime Scene Staged for Pueblo High School Forensics Class

On Wednesday and Thursday, February 10 and 11, Pueblo’s forensic class, taught by Ms. Elaine Straub, experienced their third live crime scene; students were required to examine a car accident and apply the skills they have learned in class throughout this school year.

Straub said that this particular crime scene will test her students’ critical thinking skills.

“This is a higher caliber crime scene than the previous scenarios this school year,” Straub said. “There will be a few more this school year that will further challenge students’ critical thinking skills.”

Students were required to collect evidence and examine their discoveries, including taking photographs, taking measurements and fingerprinting.

Senior Rocio Rodriguez said, “Taking part in a simulated crime scene is so much better than reading out of a textbook. We students are able to actually see what happened and use critical thinking skills and making inferences from the clues. It makes so much more sense and practical to let us figure things out for ourselves.”

Straub added that Ms. Marie Little, who teaches auto, and her students helped stage this simulated crime scene. Several other teachers used this location for their own curriculum, including Ms. Emma Tarazon, whose students took various pictures in a variety of light settings, and Mr. Rana Medhi, who took his creative writing students to the scene so that they could write about a story about their observations.

“On a gorgeous day like today, students really like being out of the classroom and writing stories,” said senior Mia Contreras. “More teachers should get their students outdoors and take advantage of all that our school offers.”

Mr. Ernie Somoza’s CMT (Communications Media Technology) freshmen students used the drone to shoot an aerial of simulated crime scene. (Video below) Sophomore Hector Valenzuela and freshman Andrew Romero controlled the drone, and sophomore Victor Llanos edited the video.